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EVERETT, Wash. - A 55-year-old Everett, Washington man who blew up a Black couple's car with a pipe bomb was sentenced to five years in prison.
Steven Goldstine pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a destructive device, unlawful possession of ammunition and unlawful possession of a firearm in September 2025. Goldstine was sentenced to in the U.S. District Court in Seattle on Monday to 78 months behind bars, and faces three years of supervised release once he's out of prison.
The backstory:
According to court records, a couple called police after their car exploded while parked at their apartment complex in Everett. Officers arrived, and the victims immediately suspect Goldstine was behind it, as they had recently had a conflict with him.
The day after the explosion, the victims say they received a racist voice message from Goldstine bragging about the explosion.
"Fueled by hatred for a neighbor’s race, the defendant used a pipe bomb to cause an explosion and destroy property," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This sentence reflects the Department of Justice’s steadfast commitment to vigorously prosecute racially motivated crimes and ensure perpetrators are held accountable."
"This defendant turned his racial hatred into a potentially deadly explosion, using a pipe bomb to blow up a car. Not everything is a hate crime, but we believe this defendant acted on racial hatred," said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "After the bombing, he called the victims to gloat, leaving a message with racial slurs. This time in prison will protect our community."
Dig deeper:
Goldstine was identified through video surveillance from the victim's apartment and from nearby businesses.
During their investigation, detectives learned Goldstine is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition after felony convictions for burglary, arson and possession of stolen property.
"Goldstine has a deeply troubling history of violence, dating back to several serious convictions for arson in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s," prosecutors wrote. "Violence has remained a consistent part of his life over the past five years, from assaulting a neighbor and fighting with police in 2019, to pointing a gun at protestors in 2020 to making death threats on YouTube in 2022… to bombing (the victim’s) car at the end of December 2024."
What they're saying:
"After years of hateful and violent behavior, Mr. Goldstine is now being sentenced for exploding his neighbors’ car, bragging about it, and leaving an offensive message for the victims," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "Thankfully, no one was hurt in this incident, which could well have killed someone. Together with our partners, the Puget Sound Joint Terrorism Task Force will not stand for such violent intimidation and will remain vigilant in combatting such dangerous acts."
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the U.S. Attorney's Office for Western Washington.